Pavia

Piazza della Vittoria

Pavia is a city in Lombardy, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1361) and many interesting churches. Pavia is also called the city of the hundred towers, the city of kings (as it was the capital of the Longobards), the city of wisdom, the city of the red bricks and it is surrounded by Oltrepo' Pavese, the so called "Tuscany of the northern Italy" with marvellous hills and wine yards scattered here and then across its landscape.

Understand

• 1 Iat (Tourist Information Office), Via del Comune,18 (Palazzo del Broletto near the Duomo), ☏ +39 0382079943. M–F 9.00-13.00, 14.00-17.00; Mar-Oct Sa-Su 10.00-13.00, 14.00-18.00; Nov-Feb Sa-Su 10.00-14.00. (updated Aug 2015)

Climate

In winter, the climate is harsh and humid with the formation of fog on the ground due to the presence of numerous canals and canals, and to poor ventilation. Snow and cold waves are not rare. Autumn and spring are the rainiest seasons, while summer is hot and muggy with frequent and sudden thunderstorms that cool the air quickly - albeit for a short time.

The average maximum temperature is recorded in July with 29.8 ° C, the lowest in January with -2.0 ° C. The wettest month is October with 88 mm of rain; the one minus July with 48 mm. Average annual rainfall is between 750 and 800 mm, distributed on average over 81 days.

Get in

Towers at Piazza Leonardo da Vinci

Pavia is less than 30 minutes from Milan by direct train.

The Pavia railway station is served by regional, interregional, Intercity, Eurocity trains of Trenitalia and by the suburban line S13 of Trenord.

The journey from Milano Centrale takes about 30 minutes. Pavia is located on the Milan-Genoa railway line. The travel time for the Milan-Pavia section is about 30 minutes.

All trains from Milan to Genoa, Ventimiglia, Sestri Levante, La Spezia, Voghera stop in Pavia.

By car

Pavia is located on the A7 motorway, 30 km south of the Milan ring road. The exit to reach Pavia is "Bereguardo".

Distances: • Aosta 187 km • Bologna 203 km • Florence 291 km • Milan 38 km • Rome 565 km • Turin 136 km • Venice 278 km

Roads and highways: • SS 35 dei Giovi Genoa - Milan • SS 526 Pavia - Abbiategrasso • SS 234 Pavia - Cremona • SS 235 Pavia - Lodi • E9 / A7 Milan - Genoa motorway (Bereguardo - Pavia Nord exit) • E54 / A21 Turin - Piacenza motorway (Casteggio - Casatisma and Stradella - Broni exits)

See

• 1 Castello Visconteo (Visconti Castle). Built in 1360-1365 the castle hosts now the Musei Civici (City Museums) of Pavia. There is a popular park around it. (updated Aug 2015)
• 2 Le 3 Torri dell'Universita, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci. 3 tall medieval towers in the middle of a nice piazza at the university. At the same square there is also the Cripta di Sant'Eusebio -- the remains of a 7th century church. (updated Aug 2015)
• 3 Duomo di Pavia (Cathedral). A Renaissance cathedral with one of the biggest domes in Italy. 
• 4 Basilica di San Michele Maggiore (St. Michael the Major). An outstanding example of Lombard-Romanesque style. (updated Aug 2015)
• 5 San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro (St. Peter in Golden Sky). A beautifully decorated basilica which is the burial place of St. Augustine and of the famous philosopher Boethius. 
• 6 Chiesa di Santa Maria del Carmine. A Gothic church with a characteristic brickwork. (updated Aug 2015)
• 7 Chiesa di Santa Maria di Canepanova. A church in Romanesque style. (updated Aug 2015)
• 8 Chiesa di San Teodoro. A Romanesque basilica with bird's-eye-view frescoes of Pavia. (updated Aug 2015)

Do

Certosa di Pavia

Eat

The dishes of the city of Pavese are the Pavese soup with eggs and croutons, the Carthusian risotto, the borghigiana eel, various dishes with river fish or raised in the rice fields, snails, fried or stewed frogs, soup frogs and goose salami.

• 1 Molto più, Via Fratelli Cervi 13. Pizzeria with wood fired pizza oven, serves great ossobuco. (updated Nov 2024)
• 2 Al Vita, Corso Giuseppe Mazzani 10, ☏ +393296133084. Fine dining in the historic centre of Pavia. A must for food lovers, but usually fully booked so reservations must be made well in advance. (updated Nov 2024)
• 3 Nuova Panarea, Viale Camillo Golgi 22, ☏ +390382422255. Pizzeria near the university's science campus. (updated Nov 2024)

Drink

• Janko, Strada Nuova 19b, Duomo Square 48. Drink a very good coffee at "Janko" and taste one of his "delicatessen", enjoying a relaxing "slow shopping". 
• 1 Il Modernista, Via Mauro Rusconi 22, ☏ +393336630344. Pub with a broad selection of local and international beers from the tap. (updated Nov 2024)

Sleep

If you are looking for some places to sleep and eat, it is recommendable the MiniHotel in viale Golgi 42, the many hotels like Aurora Hotel and Excelsior Hotel (20 min from Pavia Train Station) and many other solutions you may easily find browsing the web.

• 1 Villa I Due Padroni, Montecalvo Versiggia (30 km S of Pavia). 

Go next

Certosa di Pavia is a tiny village north of Pavia, but there is a great attraction there, the abbey and the museum of:

• 9 Certosa di Pavia, Piazzale Monumento, Certosa di Pavia (8 km north of Pavia; take a train to a homonymous station, just before Pavia, walk W direction approx. 200 m, at a T junction you'll see a brick wall of the monastery, turn right and go at N direction until a wall on the left ends, turn left, go along the wall, when the wall turns left again follow the wall until the entrance to the Certosa. The whole distance is about 1.5 km). Monastery: the most of the year Tu-Su 09.00-11.30, 14.30-17.30 (see details at the site); Museum: Th-Su 09:30-11:30 and 14:30-16:30 (open as late as 18:00 in the summer). Built in 1396–1495, it is one of the largest monasteries in Italy. The Certosa is renowned for the exuberance of its architecture, in both the Gothic and Renaissance styles, and for its collection of artworks which are particularly representative of the region. The museum can be visited by a free guided tour. free. (updated Nov 2021)